As the 2019 championship looks increasingly like a Mercedes two-way battle, Valtteri Bottas knows that he'll need to make the most of every single opportunity that comes his way to defeat Lewis Hamilton.
Up to last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, Bottas and Hamilton were level in terms of outright wins, the Mercedes pair trouncing their rivals since the start of the season with four consecutive one-two finishes.
Bottas held the upper hand before Barcelona, thanks to a fastest lap bonus point collected in Melbourne.
But the Finn's botched start from pole last Sunday, an issue he attributed to a clutch problem, handed an advantage from the outset to his team mate and rival, and left him trailing for 66 laps around the Circuit de Catalunya.
The circumstances of his defeat in Spain left the 29-year under no illusions about what he'll need to do to beat Hamilton to the title if the pair sustain their dominant form.
"For now, [the title battle is] between me and Lewis, but it's massively long season," said Bottas, quoted by Formula1.com.
"There are many teams that, especially at some tracks, are very close and it's going to be a big development race between teams all through the season.
"But if it's going to be me and Lewis, every single opportunity is going to be key.
"That's why [the race in Spain] for me was annoying. I felt I worked hard for this weekend and for the qualifying… to be on pole, on this circuit where it means a lot and I lost it at the start.
"But that’s life and there's 16 opportunities to go. That's plenty. I look forward to it, Monaco next and we'll see."
Mercedes' has typically struggled in the Principality in the last two years, a relative weakness it has owed to the technical characteristics of its car, less suited for F1's high-downforce twisty street circuits.
However, if the impressive performance last weekend of its 2019 contender around Barcelona's meandering third sector is anything to go by, than Mercedes is set to blitz the field once again in Monte-Carlo.
"I feel I've never in my Formula 1 career I've never had a good car in Monaco," revealed Bottas.
"It's such a unique track, you need a very special car in terms of how it works mechanically in Monaco, with all the warps and bumps, so it's a question mark how we're going to perform there.
"But obviously from Barcelona here, Sector 3 with slow corners, it's promising…
"I would just hope that we have a good car there because it would be such a unique race to be fighting for the win, or win it.
"I've actually never been on the podium there so it's something I really look forward to.
"I'll definitely focus 100% of the weekend for the qualifying performance and being absolutely on it in Qualifying 3, like here.
"I live just next to the start-finish line,” he added, “so it would be nice to have a good car there…"
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
